Curtain-fixture.



. which t UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L. HOPKINS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE CURTAIN SUPPLYCOMPANY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CURTAIN-FIXTURE.

Application filed September 22, 1906.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, CHARLEs L. IIoPKINs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Im rovements in Curtain-Fixtures, of

is following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in curtain-fixtures such as aresecured to a spring-actuated curtain or shade, at or near the lowermargin of the latter, and adapted to guide the same in its movement andto hold it at any desired oint of adjustment against the upward pull ofits spring roller.

The objects of my invention are to provide a device of this generalclass which is of simple constructionxand inexpensive tomanufacture,which securely holds the curtain against upward movement, and which iscapable oi maintaining itself in its proper horizontal position underthe careless and unskilful handling to which devices of this class aresubjected.

Under the conditions met in practice on street and railway cars, wherefixtures of this kind are extensively used, there is great liability ofthe device being canted up into an inclined position and either left inthis position or thrown out of place, in the latter case the heads ortips of the fixtures coming out of the guideways or grooves in whichthey are designedto run. To fulfil perfectly the requirements of servicein public vehicles the fixture should be so constructed that if it beattempted to adjust the device to a new position by grasping the sticknear one end and moving it up or down the head at the opposite or freeend of the fixture may move up or down as required to keep the sticklevel, thereby preventing the device from becoming canted or thrown outof the grooves.

In the device forming the subject of the present invention, I provide atubular stick having outwardlyspring-pressed reciprocating heads, theseheads being extended above and below the stick. At each extremity of ahead I rotatively mount a wheel or roller adapted to bear upon thewindow-frame and provide means intermediate these rollers and extendingfrom one to the other of said rollers through which said rollers actupon each other to prevent rotation while the device is Specification ofLetters Patent.

Patented June 2, 1908.

Serial No. 335,676.

in its proper horizontal position. The rollers or wheels are thus madeto serve as friction holding means to restrain the device and itscurtain against their tendency to move upward,under the influence of thespringroller, it being understood that the latter is of the continuouslyacting type, as is usual where a holding device is employed at the lowerpart of the curtain. When the device is canted into an inclined osition,so that one of the rollers u on eac of the heads is caused to bear lessfirmly upon the windowframe, the roller at the opposite end of each headis permitted to rotate so that the device may maintain itself in ahorizontal position, it being of the essence of my invention that bothwheels of a head are braked against rotation by the action of each wheelupon the other, while both are firmly in contact with the window-frame,but when one of these wheels is tilted out of contact with the win-(low-frame the wheels are released and permitted to rotate.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevational view of oneend of my improved curtain-fixture, and a corner of a curtain, thedevice being in the normal or horizontal position. Fig. 2 shows alongitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 shows the head in section, thedevice being tilted up so that the upper roller only is in engagementwith the window-frame. Fig. 4 shows, partly in section and partly inelevation, this end of the device, but, as shown in this View, thedevice is tilted so that the lower roller only is in engagement with thewindow-casing. Fig. 5 shows, in side and edge elevation, the form ofroller or wheel used in my curtain fixture.

In the several figures of the drawings,.6 is the curtain, carrying thetubular stick, .7, the latter being contained in a pocket 8 formed inthe material of the curtain. 9 designates the head having the stem 10fitting within the end of the stick 7 and adapted to move longitudinallytherein. A spring 11, within the stick 7, is adapted to exert an outwardthrust u on the stem 10 of thehead 9. In each en of the head 9 ismounted a roller or wheel 12 having trunnions 13. The head is provided,near each of its ends, with inclined slots 14 which serve as elongatedbearings for the trunnions 13 of the rollers 12.

The outward thrust of the spring 11 upon the stem 10 of the head 9 tendsto cause the rollers 12 to move backwardly in their bearings 14 when therollers are in contact with an 0 posing surface, and by reason of thefact t iat these bearings or slots converge toward the back of the headthe wheels or rollers 12 tend to move not only inward but at the sametime toward each other.

Slidably arranged within the head is an elongated member 15. This memberis confined within the head by the pin 16, and is of such a lengththatwhen one of the rollers 12 is in engagement with each of its endsthe trunnions 13 upon these rollers are nearly at the inner limit oftheir movement in the slots 14. By reference to Figs. 1 and 2, in whichthe device is shown in the normal or holding condition, it will be seenthat when the heads are pressed squarely toward the window-frame 17 thewheels 12 are ammed inward and toward each other and are held inengagement with the ends of the sliding member 15. These wheels are thusprevented from rotating while the stick 7 is in its normal horizontalposition, and act as friction-holding members to prevent the curtainfrom being drawn up by its spring rollers.

When the device is slightly canted the roller at one end of the headmoves inward, while'the roller at the opposite-end thereof movesoutward. A slight movement of the inwardly-moving roller carries thetrunnions of that roller to the inner ends of the slots 14 in which thetrunnions are supported. Any further tilting of the device must nowresult in the releasing of the wheels, as no braking pressure can beexerted by the looselymounted member 15 of itself, the braking pressurewhich is present when the device is level being a consequence of thefact that the member 15 is confined between two wheels that are beingpressed toward each other. Obviously, when one of these wheels is at thelimit of its movement toward the other and the pressure upon that otheris relieved by tilting it out of contact with the windowframe, bothwheels must be released.

If the device be grasped near one end of the stick and moved upward avery slight canting of the fixture will suffice to permit theupperroller in the head at the opposite end of the fixture to move to theinner limit of its movement, as shown in Fig. 3. Any

further tilting relieves the pressure upon the wheel at the lower end ofthe head, and, consequently, also, the braking pressure communicatedtherefrom through the member 15 to the upper wheel. The upper wheel istherefore permitted to rotate and the spring roller draws up this end ofthe device as fast as the opposite end moves upward under the influenceof the upward thrust of the hand of the operator, so that the deviceascends practically level. The degree of inclination shown in Fig. 3,wherein the lower wheel is wholly out of contact with the window frame,occurs only when the device is forced into such a position by pushingone end of the fixture up and at the same time pulling the other enddown. In this case, the device quickly rights itself when released.

Fig. 4 shows the head at one end of the device when the opposite end ispulled down. In this case the braking pressure of the mem ber 15 isremoved from the lower wheel and this end of the fixture moves downunder the influence of gravity, as fast as the opposite end is drawndown by the hand of the opera tor. Of course, in this case the member 15will continue to rest upon the top of the lower wheel by reason of itsweight, but so far as interfering with the rotation of the wheel isconcerned, this may be disregarded.

I claim as my invention:.-

1. The combination with a stick, of out wardly spring-pressed.heads atthe ends of said stick, a roller mounted to have rotary movement in theupper end of a head, another roller mounted to have both rotary andbodily movement in and obliquely of the lower endof said head, andlongitudinally movable means interposed between said rollers and adaptedto be normally gripped therebetween and thereby to brake said rollers,for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination with a stick, of heads carried thereby, means forthrusting said heads outward, a'pair of rollers in each of the heads,bearings for said rollers, said bearings being adapted to cause therollers to move toward each other when both of said rollers are pressedagainst an opposing surface, and means interposed between-said rollersand adapted to be gripped therebetween and to normally prevent rotationof said rollers.

3. The combination of a stick, a head at the end of said stick, meansfor pressing said head outward, a pair of rollers mounted in said head,said rollers being spaced apart and arranged to approach each other whenmoved inward in said head, and an elongated member interposed betweensaid rollers and adapt ed to be normally pressed upon by both of saidrollers, one at each end thereof, whereby the rotation of said rollersis prevented.

4. The combination of a stick, elongated heads at the ends thereof,elongated bearings in the ends of said heads, said bearings beinginclined with relation to the direction of movement of the head along awindowframe, rollers supported in said bearings, and means in each ofsaid heads having move ment lengthwise of said head and normallyengaging a roller at each of its ends, for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination of a stick, heads at the ends thereof, a pair ofrollers mounted in ings, whereby said rollers are braked against each ofsaid heads, elon ated bearin 's for rotation. said rollers, saidbearings eing incline rela- CHARI ES L HOPKINS tively to each other, andmeans interposed J 5 between said rollers and adapted to engagel/Vitnesses:

both of said rollers when the latter are SAMUEL N. POND, pressed towardthe inner ends of their bear- WALTER M. FULLER.

